Heli Skiing in Canada

In the quest for the ultimate downhill skiing experience, waist deep powder heli skiing in Canada ranks at the very top every time. You can find that deep powder heli skiing in British Columbia (near Terrace) at Northern Escape Heli Skiing. By helicopter you can access vast remote areas of untracked natural mountain terrain for unlimited free riding and the ultimate backcountry skiing.

History of Heli Skiing in Canada

Credit is generally given to an Austrian Mountain Guide, Johann Wolfgang “Hans” Gmoser, for offering the first commercial heli skiing adventures back in the early 1960’s. However, there are certainly several anecdotal accounts of helicopters being used to access the mountains for skiing before that, some as early as the late 1940’s.

Hans Gmoser immigrated to Canada in 1951. He went on to establish the largest heli ski company in the world at that time. Gmoser’s Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH) was located in British Columbia, Canada. BC is now the epicenter of heli skiing worldwide and currently has more than 30 Canadian helicopter skiing operators spread throughout the mountainous areas of Canada’s western-most province.

Heli Skiing in British Columbia

In each heli skiing area in BC there are operators that generally have exclusive rights to a large track of remote mountainous terrain. They each have a permit to operate commercial helicopter skiing in their specific areas.

Each heli ski area is unique in character and typically offers vast options in available terrain. These include alpine bowls and glaciers, steep treed areas, and couloirs (steep narrow mountainous gullies).

Most BC helicopter skiing companies like Northern Escape Heli Skiing, have run choices from moderate to extreme. Skiing them depends on the snow stability, current weather, and the ability of each participating group of heli skiers. In a typical day, these deep powder heli skiers can expect to ski 8 to 12 powder filled runs.

Small Group Heli Skiing in Canada

All Canadian helicopter skiing groups are accompanied and guided by professional, highly experienced mountain guides. Group sizes will depend on the company. Originally, large groups of up to 12 skiers would ski together with a large helicopter such as a Bell 212. These helicopters would service up to 4 groups at a time.

Now-a-days, small group heli skiing in Canada is highly sought after and many of the new companies offer only small group helicopter skiing. In this case, a small group of 4 to 6 skiers ski together in a smaller, more agile helicopter such as an Agusta Koala, Bell 407, or AStar.

These small helicopters generally service only 2 or 3 ski groups per machine and thus provide a more intimate, deep powder skiing experience. They also offer greater choices for heli skiing terrain. At Northern Escape, our Private small group heli skiing package serves just one group of up to 5 skiers.

Private Heli Ski Packages

The peak of any helicopter skiing experience would have to be a small Private Group. When heli skiing in Canada, in the most remote areas of British Columbia, for additional safety 2 guides accompany our Private heli ski guests. The helicopter services only 1 private group (with up to 5 skiers) and provides the most exclusive heli skiing experience imaginable.

Private heli skiing in Canada offers the most flexibility and the most choices for ski terrain. Private heli skiing also allows your single private group to ski as fast or as slow as you desire.

Heli Skiing with Northern Escape

Most BC helicopter skiing companies now offer all-inclusive skiing and boarding holidays. With Northern Escape Heli Skiing, you can combine the thrill of untracked waist deep powder skiing with fine dining and up-scale remote lodge accommodations. Depending on which NE Heli skiing package you purchase you will either stay at the Yellow Cedar Lodge or Pioneer Lodge. We also recently broke ground on our new Lake Side heli skiing lodge, due to open in 2020!

Enjoy the après ski in the lounge reliving the day’s adventures or relax in the hot tub with a massage afterwards to sooth your sore muscles from the day’s activities.

Our highly skilled team here at Northern Escape Heli Skiing in Canada’s remote BC location, is dedicated to offering clients from around the world the ultimate helicopter skiing experience.

To find out more about heli skiing in Canada at Northern Escape, or about any of our BC heli skiing packages, please call us Toll free at 1-866-619-3184 or fill out our online contact form.

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